Reputation Makers: What's Yours?

I'm defining "reputation maker" as an effect that a previous spectator asks me to perform for someone new. That said, my rep makers are:

- Sam the Bellhop (usually older crowds request this one)
- Stigmata
- Invisible Deck (this is really quite a few effects all of which are real workers)

* Fun bit of Theory11-related trivia: The first time I ever performed the Invisible Deck for a stranger in public was at a small karaoke bar in Webster called Reno's. I was kinda drunk and standing outside the building hitting up specs David Blaine style when this Mexican dude came up to me and said, "What's up, I wanna see." I performed the effect and the stranger gave me some pretty sage advice: don't write "invisible deck" on the inner flap of your invisible deck. Turns out this guy was Daniel Garcia and he then showed me a really awesome quick set including an ACR and some other one-off card routines. I don't remember the year, but it was a while back because he gave me a copy of Greed and introduced it as the effect he was about to release. So, yeah, DG was my first real audience for the Invisible Deck (and I kinda epic failed. lol)

So, if you're reading this Daniel, thanks for the tips and the inspiration! Keep up the good work. Houston representin'!!!
 
May 9, 2009
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Many people ask me to show them "that cellphone trick" or "that rope trick" but Bite Me (David Stone Real Secrets of Magic Vol. 1) still keeps them coming back. I did a mini-show once, and months later I still have people asking for "the water-bottle trick".

card-iologist
 
May 18, 2008
807
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My reputation makers... Well, my entire repitoire changes a LOT...

Mainly, it is the old Pen up Nose gag... Seriously. That, Daniel Madison's Angle Zero, and me predicting people who I have never met Cellphone numbers are what keep people coming back. Oh, and Doc Daleys last trick. Who would have thought?

I try and change up my routines a LOT.
 

Ashrei

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2007
350
2
John Guasteffero's Triumph routine. If you haven't seen it, this is a killer effect.
Two card monte's been getting some good reactions, and my only current coin routine, coin that falls up.
 
Oct 22, 2008
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i feel sort of sad saying this because its not like my most visual trick I know (DEFINITELY NOT) but... Blue Print cause I think when people in school ask me to do a trick or anywhere it's just naturally the first thing that comes into my head, you know its one of those types of tricks. So everyone basically knows me at school as "the kid who could smell cards and see your finger print" haha
 
Jan 10, 2008
294
2
I'm well known in my town for performing a Jim Sisti effect called Mixed Symbols, it's the closet to real mind reading that I have found, and it's virtually impromptu.
 
Sloppy Shuffle Triumph
Biddle Trick
And an effect I invented which uses my phone ,,,They pick a random card ,ten they shuffle it into the deck,I play a video from my phone..and there it is..their card appears there..They ask me for another try with another card...they take another one out ... then I play the video from beginning ...And it seems a little bit changed..and it is changed!! Their second card appears ,not the first one!
 
I just discussed this effect with Dan White a few days ago, and he seemed to enjoy it as much as I do. I think my favorite reputation-maker is my kicker ending to a version of Galaxy/Out of this World.

At the beginning of my act, I hand a person a deck of playing cards to examine and shuffle. The cards are passed throughout the audience to mix-up as much as possible until they are reassembled onto the table. I ask someone in the front row to think of a random playing card in their mind and say it out loud for everyone to hear. The card she names is coincidentally on top of the deck.

I invite her to join me at the table and take the remainder of the cards in her hands. I ask her to deal the deck into two piles without ever looking at the faces of the cards. One pile for red, another pile for black. I encourage her to take her time and deal slowly and to change her mind whenever she wishes. This process is interrupted throughout the show to perform other feats in mentalism and mindreading. This effect acts as the string that ties the entire act together. The cards are always in plain view and in her possession.

At the end of the act, the show's finale is the result of her process of blindly separating red cards from black cards. One by one, the cards reveal how the spectator was successful in separating the colors! The deck is spread fully to show the colors separated... except for three cards. The audience always gives the spectator a thundering round of applause for her effort.

I then call attention to an envelope sitting on the table in plain sight throughout the entire act. I allow the spectator to read the prediction inside. The prediction reveals a surprisingly accurate description of the spectator explaining her personality, background and even current outfit. The prediction ends with the fact that she would successfully separate the majority of the deck with the exception of three cards. The letter even goes on to say WHICH cards would be inaccurate!

This piece is such an engaging effect, flled with humor and anticipation. The final revelation gets several levels of applause, and people often talk about it days afterwards. It's one of my newest additions to a formal set, and I thoroughly enjoy using it.


RS.
 
Dec 27, 2008
76
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Best trick hands down - ANATE- if any of you haven't heard of this it's a brilliant psycholigical method from dee christophor, it works bout 4 times out of 5 with absolutely no work. it is BRILLIANT, get at devils advocate productions. ;)
 
Best trick hands down - ANATE- if any of you haven't heard of this it's a brilliant psycholigical method from dee christophor, it works bout 4 times out of 5 with absolutely no work. it is BRILLIANT, get at devils advocate productions. ;)

Agreed. In my opinion, ANATE is one of the most reliable linguistic forces available in contemporary mentalism. I purchased it about a month ago and have used it regularly everyday. I haven't missed one time yet! It's as direct as you can possibly get without actually reading a person's mind. I love it.

I often use it in conjunction with the count-down force in Andrew Gerard's Extraordinary in the True Astonishments set. It fulfills my standards for a hands-off, practical version of the Berglas Effect, ACAAN. I let the person think of any card they want and they incidentally deal down to their mental selection. Audience response to this is very good.

RS.
 
Sep 20, 2009
3
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Recession Prediction System

Hi,

if you are interested in an economical and devastating prediction system (the "Recession Prediction System" ; Ebook format), go take a look at http://brunonoulet.net/recession_prediction_system_english.htm .

this is mentioned as "[...] the perfect showpiece to end your mentalism performance. Your prediction will always be 100% accurate with all the choice of your spectators. Direct, clean. Ultimate and totally impossible ! Adaptable to all your themes, scripts..."

"My solution has found its inspiration, a few years ago, because or let’s rather say thanks to my frustration to not being able to invest in a « Master Prediction System » (Dick Zimmerman) (a frustration that many magicians/mentalists neither rich nor necessarily professionals must feel) [...]"

you should love it.
 
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